Nuts!!

NUTS

After Skye passed away last summer, I started gaining weight. At first I thought it was due to the steroids I was taking for my COPD, but the doctor told me the amount of steroid was so small that it couldn’t account for that kind of weight gain.

It didn’t take long to realize that not sharing my food with the dog and not walking when it was raining or when I had something pressing was probably the reason for my weight gain. So, once again I decided it was time to try to know 10 or 20 pounds off. However, I really resent diets so I didn’t try to diet. Instead, I resolved to pay attention to what I was eating and how much I was exercising.

I must admit it is the first time in my life I’ve ever “counted calories” and I couldn’t have done it without an iPhone app called “Lose It” which makes it relatively easy to count calories, including the ability to scan products directly. I input how much weight I wanted to lose in what time period, and the program told me how many calories I was allowed to consume daily. Turns out my metabolism must be slower than the average person’s because even though I followed the program closely, I was only losing about half the weight a month it said I would. Still, I’ve managed to lose 8 pounds since January, and that’s about what I wanted to do.

The only way I can stay within the program’s guidelines is by exercising, constantly exercising. Otherwise I feel like I’m being deprived. I like food, good food, and I’m not about to give it up to lose weight. But I also like exercise so it’s not a sacrifice to exercise daily.

I’ve managed to lose weight steadily for 5 months now, except for last week. I made the mistake of buying a large container of mixed nuts at Safeway and consumed it in two days. To make matters worse, I ended up buying a “super” size of MM Peanuts after spending the day walking at the beach. As I result, I gained weight for the week for the first time since December.

Part of the problem is that I’ve convinced myself that nuts are good food, and they probably are, but I’m probably also addicted to them. The only way I can avoid stuffing myself on them is to simply not buy them. I haven’t since, but I’m sure I’ll give in to the temptation when I’m at Cory and Margaret’s and they have a jar full of pistachios out or when we’re visiting Mary in Santa Rosa. Heck, I’ll probably buy another package in a weak moment while at the store.

But that’s okay, because I’m not really dieting. I’m simply trying to pay attention to what I’m eating, and entering everything I eat in my iPhone has helped me to realize that eating two corn dogs and a 16 oz Pepsi at the local Minit Mart is probably not the best way to allocate my daily calories. I can’t imagine not overeating when I go out to a special restaurant but as long as I know how many calories I’ve over consumed I don’t find it particularly hard to cut back on other days. If I know I’m going out, I often eat a small breakfast and have a salad for lunch knowing I’m bound to overeat that night.

2 thoughts on “Nuts!!”

  1. My heart goes out to you, Loren. I have been trying to lose 5 lbs since Feb. and have been super careful. Result: I MAY have lost about 2 lbs in the past four months. Or not. Yesterday the Dr. told me not to eat between meals, and I called him a skinny bastard and walked out. I exercise, but am 88 and can’t do nearly enough. Sob.

  2. But nuts are soooooo good for us, and if you have to have an addiction, that’s a pretty good one. Much better than chocolate, say, or cocktails….lol

Comments are closed.